Why Leaders Need to Master the Skill of Concentration

It’s not uncommon for many of our clients, from ultra-wealthy business owners to Fortune 500 CEOs, to juggle two or three cell phones during a meeting. Attention deficit is the silent killer of success, and it’s the root of many bad management decisions.

Leaders are constantly being asked to innovate, strategize, and think big. But while most business owners, CEOs, and executives focus on expanding their vision of the future, there’s an invisible force undermining their ability to do so: attention span shrinkage. It’s a silent disease that seeps into our daily lives, fueled by the gadgets and platforms we rely on to stay connected. And while it’s subtle, its impact is profound.

That’s why Steve Jobs became famous for telling off anyone who wasn’t paying attention to him, even for a second.

Brain in Conflict: Building a Career with the Same Brain That Checks Social Media

Think about it: The brain we use to build multi-million dollar companies is the same brain we use to compulsively check our phones for the latest updates. This paradox has never been more apparent. We demand focus, long-term vision, and strategic decision-making from our CEOs, but we also condition ourselves to crave the next dopamine hit—a notification, a quick scroll through a social media feed, or a quick text message.

Dopamine, often called the “feel good” neurotransmitter, is released when we experience something pleasurable, like checking the latest notification or receiving an email. This quick fix is ​​addictive, especially in the context of smartphones, where we’re always one click away from the next reward. As Jeff Bezos himself has noted, phones have become attention-grabbing devices. And while we may believe that managing our businesses with these gadgets helps us stay connected and productive, the truth is that they sabotage our ability to focus on the bigger picture.

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Dopamine vs. Long-Term Success

Why is this so damaging to business leaders? The brain, like any muscle, adapts to what we train it to do. When we train it to crave short-term dopamine hits, we’re essentially programming it for instant gratification. And when instant gratification becomes the norm, the ability to stay focused, think deeply, and consider long-term consequences erodes.

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Think about it: A business leader who constantly checks their phone is training their brain to work in short bursts of attention. That may be acceptable for quick decisions or urgent tasks, but when it comes to long-term strategic thinking, it’s disastrous. Building a successful business requires the ability to think through complex problems, analyze all the angles, and make decisions that will have lasting impact. These aren’t tasks that can be rushed. They require sustained focus, patience, and a willingness to resist the pull of short-term dopamine rewards.

The importance of attention management in leadership

CEOs, business owners, and senior executives need to make a conscious decision to manage their attention spans, just as they would manage any other resource. Just as they would allocate capital or hire the right talent, they must also devote time and energy to maintaining and extending their attention spans. This is no longer a luxury—it is a necessity in a world where distractions are omnipresent.

Bezos was not alone in his observation. Countless successful leaders have begun to recognize that tools designed to make us more connected actually distract us from our ability to connect with the most important tasks. As attention spans shrink, the gap between leaders who can manage their focus and those who can’t will continue to widen. The ability to sustain attention, to resist the temptation of instant gratification, will become one of the most important differentiators in business leadership.

Practical Steps to Combat the Attention Crisis

So what can business leaders do to cope with the attention crisis and regain control over their focus?

1. Digital detox periods: Schedule specific times of day where you disconnect from all electronic devices. This doesn’t mean completely ditching technology, but creating boundaries that allow your brain to recover from constant stimulation. Even an hour of disconnection can allow for deeper thinking and long-term focus.

2. Deep Work Blocks: Set aside blocks of time for “deep work.” This is time when you focus on your key tasks without interruption. Whether it’s two hours or four, make sure that this time is completely free of distractions—no emails, no notifications, just you and the task at hand.

3. Mindfulness and Meditation: Integrating mindfulness or meditation into your daily routine can help train your brain to resist the pull of distractions. Leaders like Ray Dalio have long hailed meditation as a tool for improving focus, decision-making, and emotional regulation. Just 10 to 20 minutes a day can build the mental muscles necessary for long-term attention.

4. Turn off notifications: Notifications are a major culprit in training our brains to focus on short-term issues. Turn off unnecessary alerts on your devices. If something is really urgent, the person will find a way to contact you. By reducing distractions, you regain focus.

5. Embrace boredom: It sounds counterintuitive, but boredom is essential for creativity and long-term focus. When was the last time you allowed yourself to be bored? Instead of reaching for your phone when you feel bored, sit with it. Some of the greatest ideas in business history have come from moments of quiet reflection.

Take Sara Blakely, for example. Sara is a self-made American billionaire and the founder of Spanx. She has been named to Time magazine’s annual “Time 100” list of the 100 most influential people in the world, and Forbes even ranked her as the 93rd most powerful woman in the world. How did she get there? She credits “daydreaming” as one of the most powerful weapons that has allowed her company to succeed.

6. Train your brain with long-term goals: Set long-term goals and break them down into manageable tasks. This helps rewire your brain to focus on the bigger picture rather than instant gratification. By strengthening the connection between sustained effort and long-term reward, you can break the dopamine addiction cycle.

From Dopamine Addiction to Long-Term Leadership

Ultimately, the leaders who rise to the top aren’t the ones who can respond to every email in record time or scroll through the most newsfeeds in a day. The leaders who truly thrive are the ones who can do the opposite—who can resist the temptation of instant gratification and instead focus their attention on the tasks that really matter. They are the ones who will understand that in the long run, it’s not how fast you can respond, but how deeply you can think. INQ

Tom Oliver, the “global management guru” (Bloomberg), is chairman of The Tom Oliver Group, a trusted advisor and consultant to many of the world’s most influential family offices, mid-market companies, market leaders and global conglomerates. For more information and inquiries, please visit: www.TomOliverGroup.com or email (email protected).